Breeders' Cup Turf: Glorious Empire carries U.S. hopes

Glorious Empire, winner of the Grade 1 Sword Dancer Stakes on Aug. 25 at Saratoga, will spend the early weeks of autumn being prepared for the Breeders’ Cup Turf on Nov. 3 at Churchill Downs.

There will be no prep races, such as Saturday’s Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont Park, only regular exercise at trainer Chuck Lawrence’s base at the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland. Lawrence and Matt Schera, who owns the 7-year-old gelding, considered the Hirsch, but think Glorious Empire will be better with a longer gap between races.

“We know he can run well off a layoff,” Lawrence said Wednesday. “We’re keeping him ticking along. We’re trying to maintain and we’ll crank him up before the Breeders’ Cup.”

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Glorious Empire secured a fees-paid berth for the $4 million BC Turf with a win in the 1 1/2-mile Sword Dancer at 15-1. He will be a longshot in the BC Turf.

“We’re in the Breeders’ Cup,” Lawrence said. “It’s an incredible honor.”

At the start of the summer, an appearance in the BC Turf seemed unlikely. Glorious Empire won his second start of 2018 in an allowance race with a $65,000 claiming option June 28 at Delaware Park, when he was eligible to be claimed. Glorious Empire followed that with a 22-1 upset in the Grade 2 Bowling Green Stakes on July 28 at Saratoga and the win in the Sword Dancer.

Glorious Empire is one of the leading American contenders for the BC Turf, which is expected to have a strong list of foreign-based runners. Schera, for one, is scouting the overseas competition.

“The foreign horses, it’s their race,” Lawrence said. “They are the ones that Matt is really watching.”

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Tuesday, Glorious Empire worked seven furlongs in 1:29 at Fair Hill and galloped out a mile in 1:41.40, Lawrence said. Wednesday, Glorious Empire had a morning of light exercise.

“He went for a hack for 40 minutes, around the countryside,” Lawrence said. “Happy horses win races.”

The BC Turf field will be better known after major races are run in the United States and France in the next two weeks. The Joe Hirsch field is led by Robert Bruce, winner of the Arlington Million on Aug. 11, who has won 8 of 9 starts in his career in Chile and the United States.

The Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp Racecourse on Oct. 7 in Paris is likely to produce a few runners for the BC Turf. Enable, the 4-year-old filly who won the 2017 Arc and has won 8 of 9 starts, is the favorite in future-book betting.

Talismanic, who won the 2017 BC Turf at Del Mar, could start at Churchill Downs. Talismanic won the Group 3 Prix Gontaut-Biron at 1 1/4 miles at Deauville in France on Aug. 15 and was second to stablemate Waldgeist in the Group 2 Prix Foy on Sept. 16 at Longchamp.

Roaring Lion, winner of three Group 1 races in England and Ireland this year, may run in the BC Turf, pending a start in the Group 1 Champion Stakes on Oct. 20 at Ascot.

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